Broken Pocket Watch
by LostInTheDreams
Summary: During a Kid heist a robber decides to strike. Find out the damage one stray bullet can cause. Lots of DC/MK character interactions. Warning: character Death.


I had to take a break from 'Against a Brick Wall' because I was tempted to kill everyone! Ah, I just couldn't do it!  
So I made this, I wrote it as one but it think it flows better as three small chapters (tell me if that would be better!)

_Warning Character Death!_

I'm not telling you who (whether it's obvious or not) but I wanted them to die in a way that I'd never read before and I came up with this. I've tried to include the characters from Magic Kaito and a bunch from Detective Conan into a short story that flowed them together, I don't know if it worked but this story is about EVERYONE (I left out a few because it made no sense for them to be there). I apologise for some OOCness in some of the characters.

Please review and tell me if it was good. Hopefully I won't be compelled to kill anyone else in the future because if they die the story's too short, and it makes you feel sad :(

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_**Broken Pocket Watch**_

_Tokyo Plaza Museum (Saguru, Aoko and Nakamori):_

There were only so many things that could go wrong in one day. This day seemed to have tripled that quota.

Saguru stood next to Inspector Nakamori in silence while Kaito disappeared around the corner, making up some excuse or another to Aoko along the way. Saguru was tempted to follow him but Kaito could easily fool the detective and escape while he was following a false trail. Instead, Saguru took up a spot next to Aoko, hoping it would distract Kaito enough when he reappeared to make the thief hesitate.

"I'm sorry that you were dragged along with us Aoko-kun, I didn't think you should be left alone when there have been so many robberies in your neighborhood."

"Its fine Hakuba-kun, Kaito was trying to get me out of the house too." She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't like coming but it makes him happy, I wish he wouldn't like that Kid so damn much." A stomp of her foot showed her frustration.

"I don't think you'll be able to stop his devotion," the detective's smile faltered. "I wish I knew what makes him so enthralled in this kind of activity." Saguru didn't state the fact that Kaito would never stop being involved with Kid because he was him. He'd learned long ago that fighting with Aoko on that matter was a losing battle.

"It's the magic." Aoko looked at the cases that surrounded them, filled with precious jewels and artifacts, less expensive in comparison to the large diamond that Kid was after tonight. "Kaito loves it and in any form, even it's used for something like theft. If Kid were a real magician, Kaito would be just as much of a fan as he is now. They're very similar.

"Who?" Saguru couldn't stop himself for asking, it sounded like Aoko had just admitted that Kaito and Kid were the same.

"Kid and Toichi-ojisan" she smiled sadly "Kaito's otousan would always come up with new ways to surprise us, disguising himself and playing along with our games when we were children. It just occurred to me how much they have in common." Aoko stomped her foot again "Of course Toichi-ojisan would never use magic tricks like this, just their technique is similar."

Saguru was silent while he contemplated this. He had never thought too much about Kaito's father because no one had ever talked about him with the detective present. There was no way that Kaito had been the Kid eight years ago, the teen had pulled off some amazing stunts but time travel was out of the question. Saguru had always thought that he had just taken up the role when it presented itself.

What if the boy's father had been the pervious Kid?

That made sense. Saguru didn't voice his opinions out loud but waited until later when he had more time to do research and level the accusations to Kaito without Aoko present. Based on the other teen's reaction, the detective would be able to tell if his theory was true or not.

Saguru was snapped out of his thoughts by loud static emanating from an officer's walkie-talkie.

"I told you to keep radio silence while we're in position!" Nakamori's voice carried loudly across the room and Saguru winced as the volume cut into his quiet contemplations.

The officer quickly cut off his radio before the static infuriated the Inspector anymore and he was reprimanded.

"Burr," Aoko wrapped her jacket tightly around her. "Its cold in here isn't it? Why couldn't they turn the heater on at least? It is the middle of winter." Saguru shivered along with her. The task force had shut off all power to the museum except for their backup lights that were trained around the room so that Kid couldn't tamper with them. That didn't keep the winter chill from entering and stone structures which did little to keep the building insulated.

"Where's Kaito?" Aoko asked once Saguru took out his pocket watch to check the time.

"Don't worry Aoko-kun, he'll be here." The grin that followed the statement went over her head and was mistaken for pre-heist excitement.

Aoko couldn't remember ever having been with her father on any assignments other than a few pertaining to Kid. Though she was usually kept back from all the excitement, her father had conceded to letting her and Kaito remain with Saguru this time since it was so cold outside and she couldn't be home. She wouldn't admit it to anyone but she was happy to be there tonight to watch her father, even if it was freezing.

As for Nakamori-keibu, he didn't care much if Aoko was by him or not as long as Kid didn't come anywhere near her. His daughter had a higher chance of getting stampeded in a crowd of Kid fans outside the building then remaining safe at his side when the thief showed up.

The Inspector sighed and could have sworn he saw his breath mist in front of him. He thought it had been such a good idea to cut the power to the building but that meant the only thing working was the water. His jacket kept him warm enough and his officers wouldn't complain unless they wanted to be fired so he went on thinking it was a good idea.

A faint sound of a something rolling across the floor caught Saguru's attention. It had come from behind one of the cases but there was no movement to be seen. The detective didn't remove his eyes from the area until he heard a similar yet far fainter noise come from a few feet to his left.

"Inspector!" He tried to get Nakamori's attention but it took the man a few seconds to respond due to the fact that he'd just been shouting orders quietly to another officer, six of which were on their half of the room while another dozen were scattered around the outer walls.

"What is it Hakuba-kun?" Nakamori asked gruffly, tense and agitated by the time of arrival coming up. According to Saguru's watch there were only three minutes left, not that Kid was ever exactly on time before unless it was being advertised. Nakamori had decided that Kid told time in his head since it would be strange and dangerous for the thief to wear a watch.

"There were some rather unusual noises coming from behind the cases, should we check it out?" Nakamori was about to nod when one of the lights off to the side went out.

"What are you doing over there? Did the light burn out or was it something else?" The Inspector shouted to the man. The officer shrugged his shoulders and kicked the light.

"I'm not sure sir but it shouldn't have gone out this quick-" The man cut himself off when all the other remaining lights blinked out. Just the two that had been trained on the jewel case remained lit. On the case, crouched as comfortably as a cat about to leap, was the Kid.

"Good evening everybody" he greeted them, tipping his hat downward more to hide his eyes than a formal gesture.

Aoko tensed up next to Saguru, scowl plastered firmly on her face as all thoughts of Kaito's whereabouts flew out the window. _Jealousy_, Saguru thought suddenly. That was why Aoko was so mad at Kid; he'd gotten both her father and Kaito to pay attention to him instead of her just by entering a room or being mentioned in the paper.

The revelation distracted him long enough that he was puzzled when he turned back.

Everyone had stilled.

The Kid tilted his head to the side like a dog, trying to pick up on a noise while the officers stood by and watched. Nakamori was about to jump the Kid when the thief had suddenly acted so out of character that he's orders died on his lips. The Kid wasn't even trying to taunt them while he presided over the entourage like a king.

Whatever noise had first caught the thief's attention became lost as the sound of doors being slammed open alerted everyone to the presence of another person running frantically through the lobby.

"What the Hell?" Nakamori let his thoughts drift from Kid while the unexpected intruder posed more of a potential hazard with his daughter in the room. It took only seconds for a man in his thirties to come rushing into the room brandishing a revolver widely about.

Once the intruder realized the room was full of cops, he took off to the nearest exhibit farthest away from where he had come. The Kid took seconds to follow the man, not even bothering to snatch up the diamond.

The task force remained motionless, trying to discern what had just happened when several policemen from some other district came rushing past, giving each other confused looks.

Saguru tried to chase after Kid and the man but Aoko grabbed him, causing him to fall hard on the ground. "Ow," he mumbled and felt the pocket watch he'd been holding open in his hand, broken between his fingers when he fell. Luckily the glass on these small things wasn't sharp or plentiful so he didn't get injured. "Aoko-kun what was that for?"

"That man had a gun, you shouldn't go after him." The fear in her eyes was intense and left the detective without any reassurances to give her.

One of the new officers stopped, being more overweight then the rest of them, to explain the situation.

"Hello there I'm Chiba-keiji, we're from the Beika Police Department and we've been chasing a suspect for a few blocks." The chubbier man spoke to the stunned officers.

"I'm Nakamori-keibu," Nakamori introduced himself, still in a stupor. "We were chasing the Kid-" that seemed to get his brain working again. "THE KID, HE'S WITH YOUR SUSPECT, WE HAVE TO GET HIM!" The Inspector took off running with Chiba close behind him. Saguru gave Aoko a look of apology before following.

A shot was heard and everyone stopped for a second before running off in that direction, afraid of what they might find when they got there.

...

...

_Near Tokyo National Bank (Sato, Takagi, Conan, and Ran):_

"Magure here" the Inspector spoke clearly into his phone when it rang. He was still with Mouri and family after the 'sleeping sleuth' had just solved yet another baffling case. How Kogoro had managed to get so intelligent after _leaving_ the force, he still wondered.

"There been a robbery at Tokyo Bank and you're section is closest to the crime scene. We need full pursuit on the robber right away. The suspect is a tall male in his early thirties driving a white sports car!" A female voice relayed to him quickly.

"On it," He hung up the phone and waved to his men "Come on, we have to get out of here now. There's been a robbery down at the bank and we need cars on him now!" Sato followed his orders the fastest, wrapping up the final bit of evidence in a plastic bag before handing it to one of the forensic officers that would be staying behind. Kogoro for his part just sat there, still asleep.

Shinichi, short as he was, shot Ran a quick look before jumping into the back of one of the police cars. "Yay, a car chase!"

"No you don't Conan-kun!" She opened the back door and tried to drag the boy out but he simply moved to the other seat. "You are not going with!"

Takagi stood impatiently behind them. _Why had Conan deiced to jump into his car when they were in a hurry? _Sato wasn't as patient.

"Ran-chan just get in. We'll make sure that neither of you are in any danger as long as you stay in the back of the car." She put her seatbelt on and shifted into gear, giving the girl no other option then to jump quickly in before getting run over.

"Sato-keiji, I really don't think it's ok to drive away with us in the car!" Ran shot her an angry look but Sato only smiled.

"As long as I keep you safe, what does it matter if you get a free car ride?" She winked at Conan. "Plus I don't think that you could have gotten him out before we were the last car out of the lot."

Conan had switched from the happy kid who was getting to ride around in a car chase going over eighty miles-an-hour to someone much older who didn't care about the flashing lights that streaked past the window. Ran tried to pay him as little mind as possible, which was easy because she was busy being too afraid that they'd spin out with the way Sato was driving.

The suspects white car came into view minutes later.

"Sato here" she got the radio while driving, ignoring Takagi who was reaching for it instead. "The suspect is traveling at seventy-five miles an hour, east-bound, in pursuit." She slammed the receiver down harder then she needed to, fury from her diving going into her actions.

Conan's eyes had sharpened to an intensity rarely seen in anyone other than officers with years of patience and knowledge under their belts. He took in the appearance of the car, license plate, hubcap design, and tinted windows which were almost impossible to make out in the dark, all in seconds.

"Hold tight." Sato warned just seconds before trying to pit the other vehicle. Conan managed to grab the seat in front of him while Ran hit her arm roughly against the door before holding onto the handle.

The sound of the car spinning out reached their ears but the driver regained control and took off faster than he'd been going.

Sato just smiled and Takagi looked like someone had just told him he had to marry a pig. "Sato-san-"

"Not now," she pushed hard on the gas, "This is getting fun."

...

...

_Return to the Tokyo Plaza Museum (Everyone): _

A large crowd of people off to the side of the road caught their attention as well as the suspect's. The white car skidded to a halt near the edge, scattering a few of the onlookers that were too close. The man stepped out, wearing a dark baseball cap with curly brunette hair coming out of the sides and dark shades to hide his face.

He reached into his jacket as he raced into the crowd, trying to throw the officers off his trail. Sato jumped out of the car followed by Takagi, Conan, and Ran who just managed to see the boy shoot out the door. Officer Chiba and another man came running out of the only other cop car that had been able to keep pace with their volatile driving.

The officers had no trouble following the suspect who had apparently drawn a gun from his coat, making a clear path for them to follow. There was a police line before the building that the suspect tore down after he noticed he couldn't wade through that many people without being noticed.

Takagi called it in on his radio as they entered to warn people in the area that the man had a gun. Conan raced in front of him, just keeping step with Sato who reached the police line as the man threw the doors of some large building open.

"What's going on?" Sato yelled to Takagi as they entered soon after. "Why are there so many people here? It's ten-thirty at night!"

He just shrugged in response and took the time to look around and notice they had entered a museum, even more confused why there were so many people. He drew his gun from his holster. Sato eyed his weapon before drawing her own, signaling the other two officers to do so as well. When she turned back she noticed Ran was still following them.

"Ran-chan, get out of here!"

"But Conan-kun…" Sato looked down and saw the boy following her. She had no way of stopping him unless she took precious time to do so. That meant that she would have to keep them both safe. A quick check made sure her gun was loaded.

As they entered what appeared to the only lit portion of the museum they were met with a group of other police officers, stunned at their sudden appearance.

Sato only hesitated a moment before continuing forward after the man. She was relieved when Chiba had stayed back, she'd have to ask him what was going on when they returned.

Takagi was shaking. He didn't want Sato to see how nervous he was but he had never shot anyone before. If the perpetrator decided to turn on them he wanted to be ready despite his lack of experience. He sucked up his fears and doubts and put them behind him. If he had to shoot, he would.

Conan wasn't focused on violent thoughts. He had his stun watch still but it wouldn't do any good since he could barely see in the dark now that they'd left the lighted room. He'd used its only dart on Mouri just hours ago. Shinichi was busy trying to figure out what was happening. The small detective was completely focused on finding where the suspect ran that he didn't even glance at the other officers they had come across. There had to be a reason why so many people and police were together in one spot but he couldn't figure it out at the moment.

Ran didn't share any of their thoughts. She was just worried that she couldn't catch up to Conan before he got himself into any more trouble.

There was a scuffling sound that accompanied their footsteps along with an indecipherable shout that came from behind them. As they turned the next corner they saw the outline of the suspect moving around but the darkness made it impossible to see more than the briefest of movements.

"Freeze!" Sato shouted in the man's direction, raising her gun. "Move and we'll shoot."

The man didn't stop. If anything his movements became more erratic and left the officers wondering what he was doing. Conan tried to look and see what was causing the man to act that way but again, the darkness was too thick.

Takagi and the other officers raised their weapons when it was clear that the suspect was not going to stop. The faint sounds of some sort of struggle were heard but they couldn't get any closer without putting themselves in danger.

"I said stop moving!" Sato repeated again. The man made an aggravated growling noise before continuing his motions. Conan briefly saw something flash but couldn't tell what it was before it disappeared.

There was a gun shot.

The reaction was immediate. All the officers tensed up against the noise and Takagi did what his instincts told him to do. He fired his gun as well.

The second gunshot resulted in all the officers turning to him. He sheepishly stared back before becoming serious "There's no one here and he fired on us first." Sato did a quick check as he reminded her what her brain had first realized; that there had been a first shot.

"Is anyone hurt?" She looked over all of them and came across no injuries before running towards the suspect. "I hope he isn't dead Takagi-kun, we try and keep suspects alive until we prove their guilty."

He looked down but his face was set, he had done the right thing. Takagi had been prepared to shoot the man and he had. The man had opened fire on them first so what had she expected him to do?

They reached the man quickly. He was lying on the ground and bleeding where the bullet had scrapped across the side of his rib cage. It wasn't serious and hadn't even hit his ribs but the surprise was enough to stun him and the cut would still need stitches. Sato bent down and cuffed the man before ordering Chiba's partner to go bring back bandages and call an ambulance.

A motion further in front of Sato caught her attention and she reached for her gun again. The movements were much more noticeable in the dark room because of the bright colored clothes the boy wore. Sato could see the youth in him from the limited way he moved and the small amount of space he took up on the floor.

The boy was kneeling with his head down and the motions that Sato had caught were of the thief's form shaking.

Footsteps were heard running towards her and she turned towards them to see Inspector Nakamori coming in with two officers and a teenage boy at his side.

"What's going on?" The older man asked with an authoritative voice used to getting answers immediately. Sato just looked at him then back over to the boy in white slumped over on the floor. The motion was enough for Saguru.

Against all of the detective's brighter instincts, he ran towards Kid without any thoughts of arresting him. Something was wrong. The thief twitched under his grasp but didn't raise his head to look up. It took Saguru little time to realize the other boy wasn't reacting to his touch. Kaito motions were irregular even when he removed his hand.

"Kuro-" Saguru had to get his head back in order, confusing the police now wouldn't help. "Kid-san, are you alright?"

Again the thief didn't raise his head and the twitching was growing worse. Saguru looked down at Kaito and noticed an abnormally large amount of blood in the middle of his chest, just off center.

"Kid, were you shot?" Saguru couldn't do it but Inspector Nakamori looked around the room, trying to find answers. He was helpless in the situation. Kid had bled in front of him only once before and it was so wrong for the thief to do it that Nakamori wasn't sure of his actions. There should never be blood on one of Kid's heist, it'd been that way for years and it scared him when that changed.

Takagi took the time to look up at them, meeting their eyes and looking at Kid. Sato was also focused on the boy and did nothing more then hold the cuffs on the back of the suspect's hands. Angry at herself for not doing something sooner, she got up.

"Takagi-kun, watch this man" she ordered, the hardness her voice normally held when giving orders was gone. Sato got off the ground and made her way to crouch near Saguru and the Kid. Conan was looking away and trying to ignore what he could, Ran at his side and doing the opposite, watching as the actions were played out in front of her.

Kaito was on his knees, both spread out at his side in a way only someone with incredible flexibility could pull off. His head was still bowed and his trembling was slowing.

Sato had never been a fan but she couldn't ignore someone who was hurt.

"Kid-san, are you conscious? Look at me." She tilted his head up so she could see his face; no reaction to the contrary stopped her, worrying both her and Saguru who could see his actions.

Kid's face was chalk-white with small beads of sweat falling down the sides. Darkness under the boy's closed eyes told of the extreme blood loss he was suffering from. When he's eyes peeked open they were unfocused as he blinked them.

Kaito tried to say something but no words escaped, not even air. Sato took him behind his back and under one leg to lay him down. He went limp in her arms and his eyes squinted in pain as his breathing became fast and shallow.

Once she laid him on the floor she realized that he had no hope of making it out alive. The bullet had either hit his heart, or because he was still with them at the moment, close to it. He'd bleed out in minutes even if they tried to prevent it.

Saguru came to the same conclusion but wouldn't allow it to be true. Every part of him that underestimated people, the part that didn't believe in miracles, the part that was trying to tell him otherwise was smothered under a sudden unquenchable need to believe in the impossible.

He grabbed Kaito's gloved hand in his and stared at the boy. "Kuroba-kun you're going to be fine." He assured him, _forget the others behind him who heard him speak Kaito's name_.

Saguru watched as the boy tried to smile at him, failing but not giving up. It hurt. Saguru didn't know that someone smiling at you could hurt so much but it did. This was not that way that Kid was going to be caught. It couldn't be.

Kaito shook one last time before falling still. Saguru didn't release the boy's hand when it became slack in his own. He closed his eyes, unable to believe that Kaito had just died. Sato shook his shoulder to snap him out of his trance, bringing him slowly to his feet and away from the still body.

Seeing Kid lying dead in from of him, Hakuba was sure of only one thing. He could not tell Aoko. No matter how much he'd tied to spoon feed her the truth in the past, now that the boy was dead and couldn't fight back, it no longer matter to prove to everyone that he was right.

"Don't feel so bad Hakuba-kun, it's ok to cry when a friend dies." Ran spoke up; just remembering his name from when she'd met him, leaving Conan for the moment to come over to the detective.

He looked at her with a confused expression before noticing the tears flowing down his face. "He wasn't my friend."

"Don't say that, you don't need to lie about it." She looked at Kaito and saw the emotion in Saguru's eyes even if it was Kid they were talking about.

"But he wasn't" Hakuba looked at Kuroba's dark eyes that were closed now and still hidden underneath his top hat at this angle. "Maybe he could have been my friend at one point but he didn't stick around long enough…"

Kaito was dead and Hakuba couldn't understand it.

"I just keep expecting him to open his eyes and smile like he's playing some kind of sick joke on us."

"I can't say I don't understand your sentiment." Conan voiced, looking at the dead boy for the first time. "It's the illusion that he walked around with; that stories always have a happy ending. He made us believe in the impossible so we're all waiting for him to prove us right and deny even death from capturing him." Saguru was a little comforted to see hurt in the child's eyes as well.

"Yes, he made us believe in something other than real life," Saguru looked at his dead classmate; rival, and the person who had just saved all of their lives. The only way Kaito would have died would have been trying to protect them. "But at the end of the day real life is all you have and you come to realized that for all his deceptions, he's just as human as the rest of us."

"It wasn't for nothing, his delusions had purpose." Conan tried to clarify. "They kept us all from giving up when we could have in the past, they kept us breathing long enough for him to save us. I don't know if you've had my experiences but that's what he's done." He tipped his head at Kaito before continuing. "The only one who ever believed truly that everyone could be saved was Kid, and because of that the possibilities of what could have happened were cut. He saved us with his own magic."

Hakuba couldn't believe in what the young detective was saying, Kaito was just fooling them all by pretending to be a bad guy to shock them when he died a hero. He stared at his watch for the first time since it had broken when he fell, glass bits chipped off and one needle bent inward.

"You're just like my friend here," he told the bit of gold "I thought I knew you inside and out, yet I couldn't stop you from breaking."

_..._

_..._

_Tokyo Plaza Museum (Kaito/Kid): _

Kaito and Aoko had gotten a free ride to the museum thanks to Saguru. Kaito had been hanging out with her, trying to get Aoko to come with him instead of staying home alone. Listening in on the police had told him of a prowler breaking into people's homes in the neighborhood and he couldn't protector her if she didn't come.

Saguru had finally gotten to the stubborn girl. Someone the detective knew drove them to the site, leaving Kaito ample opportunity to play with the two. He'd gotten Aoko to smile when he'd done some simple coin tricks. The convertible making it impossible if not difficult to do anything with cards, and he'd also gotten her to smack him when Kaito had procured Saguru's watch.

"You shouldn't take things that aren't yours" she chided him. "It's a bad habit to get into." Aoko crossed her arms and he just smiled at her reaction. Kaito thought to himself that teasing her right before a heist would just get her mad and he liked it so much more when she smiled. He returned the watch which Saguru quickly reclaimed.

"Too bad, I've already taken something" his smile was mischievous and Aoko checked her pockets to make sure she still had her money and phone.

"What did you take this time?" the anger and exasperation on her face was too fun though. Kaito took a finger and tapped her lightly on the nose.

"I'm not telling."

She scowled at him and returned to crossing her arms.

They arrived at the museum quickly and made their way to the Inspector's location. He gave his daughter a sincere smile before turning to his officers to set up the lights. Kaito took in his surroundings with a smile. It would be easy to maneuver in such a large room. Saguru's eyes narrowed at his expression.

"So Kid-san, what are you planning?"

Aoko turned her head in their direction but Kaito just brushed the detective off.

"I told you already, I'm not the Kid and I've got an alibi. Should I leave if you think I am?" Kaito inquired, trying to get Saguru to drop it.

"No" the other teen answered him "because if you aren't here I can't watch you." They smiled at each other, each amused at the jibes the other was making. Aoko just rolled her eyes and ignored the both of them.

When they'd been situated for a while, Kaito excused himself to the bathroom. He felt Saguru's eyes on him as he left the room, palming a can of knockout gas in his hand. Kaito removed a few more cans from a bag he'd stored away earlier that week underneath one of the display cases in the next room.

Kaito took his time as he grabbed his costume and made his way back. After a while of sitting on his hands, he used soft padding around the cans to guild them to the locations he wanted. He froze for a second when the blond detective appeared to hear the noise.

Saguru was looking in the other direction though and Kaito threw another can before he heard the detective speak to the Inspector. He didn't want them finding his cans too soon so Kaito took out a small device in his hand that over-road the wattage of any device it touched. It was a nice way to shut down the power and it made a great addition to a light on the other side of the room.

Kaito watched as the light winked out and he finished up dispersing his canisters. A few more of the little bugs and all the lights went out, allowing Kaito to sneak up in the dark area before everyone's night vision kicked in and perched himself atop the display case holding his goal. Kaito already knew this wasn't the one he was looking for because being a clear-cut white diamond made it easy to see through. That didn't mean he wasn't going to put on a show.

A greeting to them started his magic show. The lights at this angle were bright and he had to lower his hat more to keep his own vision intact. Kaito caught a glimpse of Saguru being way too close to Aoko but didn't have time to worry about it. The sound of screeching tires and a few random screams caught his attention.

Nakamori and his officers had froze along with him so Kaito took his time, listening for any more disturbing noises. He didn't have long to wait. The sound of the front doors being forced open could be heard by everyone.

Kaito tensed on his stage, waiting to see what was coming. The Inspector looked just as surprised by the noise as he was so Kaito was sure it wasn't going to be anything good. Again, it wasn't.

A man waving a gun around ran in the room. Kaito wanted to run at him the moment he entered to keep anyone from getting shot. The intruder just ran past them all and further into the museum. Kaito couldn't risk anyone's life so he quickly took off after him.

It didn't take long to catch up but the man threw him off when Kaito grabbed him the first time. A quick check of his pockets showed that he didn't have any knockout spray left and his trick in the other room was wasted. Kaito finally settled on tackling the man before he could get any further.

The guy wasn't old and he seemed to be in good shape. After a few seconds of wrestling on the ground, it became obvious that Kaito couldn't keep him there. In the struggle the man had lost his cap and sunglasses.

The face that Kaito saw had no emotion in it at all except fear and anger. He made sure to grab the man's right hand with the gun as they both rose to their feet. Kaito grabbed his other hand as well to keep him from running off.

"Freeze!" Kaito heard a woman's voice coming from behind the man. That only made the guy struggle more and Kaito barely held him off, pushing his body into the man's to keep him from moving forwards. During this time Kaito couldn't make out any of the words that were spoken, concentrating solely on keeping the larger man from using the gun.

After a few more shouts from the officers the man wasn't going to take it anymore. He fired his gun even though Kaito held it towards the ceiling, not endangering anyone. He didn't care how much the man shot as long as no one got hurt.

Kaito thought the man had shot a second time and was confused when an overwhelming pain made him stumbled backwards, releasing the gun against his will. He felt the cold ground come to meet him but didn't remember falling.

There was a cold wet feeling running down his chest but when Kaito looked all he saw a fuzzy blur of white and red. He's head felt too heavy to hold up after that and he left it fall, hearing the mumble of voices around him.

Someone put their hand on his shoulder. Kaito thought he heard Saguru's voice accompany it but he wasn't sure since complete thoughts would no longer stay with him. It was a subconscious thing.

Someone touched his chin and Kaito could feel his head being lifted. He might not have been able to do that himself but he could at least open his eyes, he told himself. After a few blinks Kaito could make out a dark shape with either short or no hair. A woman's voice followed the shadow so he wasn't sure he had heard Saguru before.

Whatever the woman was saying didn't make it to his ears. Kaito caught a few words in-between breaths. He definitely heard the word 'shot' but it meant nothing to him at the moment.

Kaito tired to ask for her to repeat herself but couldn't find the energy. It was so hard to breathe. His chest ached each time, imploring him to stop. He focused on breathing for the moment instead of understanding.

Someone put an arm under one of his leg and another on near his shoulder blades, wrapping around to touch his ribcage. He was too tired of holding himself up and fell into the awaiting arms. A sharp pain struck his chest and he thought he'd pass out.

With no such luck he found himself on the ground, gritting his teeth in the pain that was quickly being numbed by his brain. Kaito could feel the wetness on his chest more than ever; now that he was on his back he could feel it running down his ribs, beneath his shirt.

Someone grabbed one of his hands and he was certain it was Saguru this time. The boy's outline was blurred but his golden hair was unmistakable, even in the dark.

Saguru's smile was pained and Kaito caught his words as the detective reassured him that he'd be alright.

Even as out of it as he was, Kaito knew from Saguru's expression and the fact that his image blurred into nothingness unless he really concentrated, he wasn't going to make it.

Breathing was so hard. Kaito could feel as his arms twitched without his consent.

He smiled. It was the only thing he could do. His eyes remained unfocused on Saguru's blurred form, trying to project some sort of contentment to him. Even through his own shaking, Kaito could feel Saguru's hand trembling just as much.

Smiling was too hard and breathing was no longer an option. Every breath caused so much pain to enter Kaito's body, making him shudder. He couldn't do it anymore

One more try. He tried to smile. He tried to breathe.

But he couldn't.

Kaito's eyes closed as he knew he was letting out the last bit of air in his lungs.

If only he could have smiled.


End file.
